The crypto market's Fear and Greed Index dropped to 23 today, marking two consecutive weeks in extreme fear. Although this number looks a bit alarming, it also provides many with an opportunity for contrarian thinking.

Speaking of market opportunities, Bitmine's recent major move is worth noting — they staked 74,900 ETH for the first time. If this guy truly goes all-in on staking, the annual interest could reach $371 million, which is quite an attractive return given the current environment.

On the ecosystem side, there are also developments: Yuga Labs acquired Improbable's Unreal Engine creation platform and its team, which means further progress in the infrastructure of the metaverse and gaming sectors.

Regarding the future market outlook, opinions vary. Sharplink's CEO believes that stablecoins, RWA, and sovereign funds will be the driving forces, with Ethereum's TVL potentially increasing tenfold by 2026, and on-chain AI agents and prediction markets are expected to explode. Meanwhile, Tom Lee is more direct — he predicts Ethereum could reach $7,000–$9,000 in early 2026, with a long-term outlook possibly targeting $20,000. However, some voices say that a leading investment institution is adjusting its strategy, prioritizing cash flow distribution for dividends and debt repayment rather than aggressive BTC purchases.

On the macro level, gold, silver, and platinum have surged to all-time highs in recent days, continuing the strong performance of precious metals toward the end of the year. With Christmas and New Year approaching, global financial market liquidity will further dry up, and with minimal major data releases, the market in the coming days may mainly focus on sentiment and institutional positioning.